Vertically slotted straw dispenser



Jan. 9, Q c s lTER VERTICALLY SLOTTED STRAW DISPENSER Filed May 7. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 gymmz CLYDE C. CjUITER Jan. 9, 1934. SUWER l',942 ,846

VERTICALLY- SLOTTED STRAW DISPENSER Filed May 7. 1930 Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 9, 1934. c, c. SUITER VERTICALLY SLOTTED STRAW DISPENSER Filed May 7. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 gamma CLYDE. C. Suna-R Patented Jan. 9, 1934 rrics Clyde C. Salter, Dallas, Tex, assignor to Tray Service Company, Dallas, Tern, a corporation of Texas Application May '7, 1930'. Serial N. 459,550-

lil Claims.

iviy invention rela dispensers, a cularly to straw dispensing or devices which embody therein vertically mounted containers which are provided with vertical open igs or slots through which the straws ordin -y used in king beverages may be discl ed in a vertical position from a quantity stored in position in inerior of t e container.

is an object of my 'ition to provide dissuch contains ordinarily one =n the d'spens that will deliver a hr at a time throng o' ing container, without i or" such straws stored in the dring the delivery of the small er operated upon at one time. object includes the desirable result of making possible the use of an in perforate cover for the vetical container, as the straws are delivered laterally.

It is a further object or" my invention to pro vide vertical container holding a large number of straws there 'esting upon a horizontal support from which a lin ted number or the straws are pressed laterally and bodily toward and through a vertical opening in the wall or" the contain r. The individual straws are neither raised nor lowered as they are moved along the said support and discharged from this opening.

The delivery mechanism for my straw dispenser includes spring swinging about a 'ertical axis of the container and urging all of he straws in the container a general direction voward the side opening, in combination with a control device for uncovering the opening to permit a l rted number of straws to be discharged thro zgh it.

It is a further object to deliver a limited number or straws at one time from a vertical opening in the wall of a vertical container from a larger number of straws held within the container under spring pressure until delivered, and provide the container with an external cup adjacent the lower portion or" said opening, so that when delivered the straw that is discharged will drop into said cup and be held therein until lifted therefrom.

Viy device is well adapted for resting upon a cou ter, and may easily be bodily moved from one posi ion to another, its weight being merely that of the wall and cover. and the quantity of straws it will hold.

My discharge mechanism can be readily operated to deliver the straws singly or deliver a larger number into the cup above referred to.

The preferred form of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of my construction;

Figure 2 shows a side elevation of my device, with a straw having been discharged into the external cup;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a dispenser;

Figure l is a side elevation of the mechanism, parts of the outer wall being broken away to show interior structure, and the cover being removed;

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken through a container which is partly filled, the plane of section being closely adjacent the actuating lever and the axial center of the dispenser;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the uncovered container;

Figure 7 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 7-? of Fig. 4;

Figure 8 is a transverse section taken on the same plane as Fig. 7, but showing the parts in the relative position at the moment of discharge of a straw from the container;

Figure 9 is a transverse section of the container taken in the plane indicated by the line 99 of Fig. 4;

Figure 10 is an inverted plan view of the dispenser;

Figure 11 is a detail perspective of an actuating part mounted'within the container for delivering units of the articles to be dispensed;

Figure 12 is a side elevation with parts broken away, of a modified form of an uncovered container;

Figure 13 is a vertical section of a partly filled container taken in the plane indicated by the line 13-13 of Fig. 12;

Figure 14 is a transverse section of my modified container taken in the plane indicated by the line 14 m of Fig. 12; 95

Figure 15 is a similar view to that of Fig. 14, but showing the parts in the discharged position of one of the straws, and

Figure 16 is a detail perspective of the discharge member.

The main body of my dispenser comprises a vertically mounted container 5 which rests upon a flared base 6, the container 5 being cylindrical and provided with an apertured bottom 7 which i'ills the lower opening of the cylinder and rests immediately above the upper edge of the base and just within the latter. The cylinder with its closure is held in position upon the base 6 by the provision of angular metal braces 8 whose flanges 9 are secured to the adjoining parts by screws 10, as shown in Fig. 5.

The cylinder 5 is provided with an approximately fiat cover 11 provided with a small handle 12 by which the cover may be readily removed for filling the container with a new supply of straws which rest directly upon the bottom 7. The cover 11 is imperforate, and is not removed except for the purpose specified. The outer wall of the cylinder is provided with a vertical slot 13 which extends upward from the said bottom to a point adjacent the upper edge of the cylinder, and is of a width amply sufficient to deliver a single straw therethrough while in its upstanding position. External of the lower end of the cylinder a flanged repository 14 is secured to the cylinder wall by fasteners 15, in a position in direct line with the slot 13, but with its bottom slightly lower than the upper surface of the bottom 7 so that the delivered straw will drop into the repository where it may remain until removed manually.

The vertical slot 13 of the cylinder through which straws are discharged is normally closed by a closure member 20 which comprises a metallic plate, a portion of which is bent to conform to the curvature of the cylinder and lies adjacent the inner face thereof closing the slot 13 for substantially its entire length. The closure member 20 is rigidly secured to a centrally located post or rod 22, the lower extremity of which is journalled in the bottom member 7, and the upper extremity of which is journalled in a horizontally extending bracket 23 secured in the cylinder 5 adjacent its upper end by suitable screws 24 passing through the cylinder and threaded into downwardly extending cars 25 and 26 of the bracket. The closure member 20 has ears 27 and 28 which extend upwardly and downwardly respectively, and one of which normally lies against the ear 25 of the bracket and the other lies against one end 29 of a recess 30 in the base or bottom memher '7. A suitable spring 31, one end of which is secured to the base and the other end to a pin 32 which extends laterally from the post 22 beneath the base member 7, serves to retain the closure member in its normal position.

The straws are retained in a vertical position, within the cylinder, against a stationary, vertically extending, retainer plate 35 by a suitable packer 40. The retainer 35 is loosely mounted on the post 22, and is secured to the bracket 23 by means of a bolt 36 which extends through the bracket and is threaded to an ear 3'7 of the retainer plate, thereby securing the retainer against movement relative to the cylinder. The packer 40 preferably comprises a comparatively heavy wire, the lower end of which is looped about the post 22 as at 41 and which has horizontally extending portions 42, and vertically extending portions 43 and which is looped about the central post 22, adjacent its upper portion, as at 44, in such a manner as to embrace all of the straws which lie between the post and the cylinder. A suitable coil spring 45 mounted on the upper portion of the post 22, one end of which is retained by the plate 23 as at 46, the other end of which acts against an upwardly extending portion d7 of the packer 40, serves to cause the packer to urge the straws, within the cylinder against the retainer plate 35.

The door portion 21 of the closure member 20 extends some distance beyond the opening 13 and is then bent inwardly towards the post 22 and then around the post, as indicated at Figs.

. member.

5 and 11 and is rigidly secured thereto by suitable screws. A portion 51 of the closure member is bent inward away from the wall of the cylinder 5 thereby forming an opening 52 through which the straws may pass to the slot 13 of the cylinder. It will be noted that the portion 51 of the closure member lies substantially parallel to the inner wall of the cylinder, but some distance from the wall, and has a plurality of ears 53 which extend outwardly through the opening 52 towards the cylinder wall, and against which ears, one straw is pressed by the packer 40. It will be noted that the retainer plate 35 does not extend to the cylinder wall, but is spaced therefrom a distance sufficient to permit the portion 51 of the closure member to pass between the end of the retainer plate and the wall of the cylinder.

As the ears 53 of the closure member, in their normal positions, are not in line with the retainer 35, but are spaced some distance to one side of the retainer, (to the left in Figs. 7 and 8) it is necessary to provide means to close the gap between them so as to retain the straws in position. To this end I utilize a plate 60 which as hereinafter described also serves to eject the straws from the cylinder. The plate or ejector 60 is rigidly secured by screws 63 to a vertically extending rod 61 rotatably carried in ears 62 of the closure member. The ejector normally lies against the portion 51 of the closure member and has suitable apertures 64 through which the ears 53 of the closure member extend.

As illustrated in Fig. 7 where the parts are shown in their normal positions, the opening 13 in the cylinder being closed, one straw W lies in a pocket 65 adjacent the inner surface of the cylinder within the opening 52 of the closure The pocket 65 is normally closed on three sides by the cylinder, the ears 53 of the closure member and the end of the ejector plate respectively, while the fourth side is open to permit the packer 40 to force a straw into the pocket Where it is in a position to be discharged from the cylinder upon subsequent operation of the device.

The straws are ejected from the cylinder into the repository 14 by suitable operation of the key 66 by the operator. The key 66 is secured to the upper end of a bar or rod 67 which extends downwardly and then horizontally, projecting through a slot 68 in the base 6. The rod 67 is journalled in a bracket 69 secured to the under side of the bottom 7 as is illustrated in Fig. 10, thereby affording a lever structure fulcrumed in the bracket 69, which will actuate the vertical rod 22. The rod 67 has a downwardly extending arm 0 which engages a laterally extending portion 71 of the rod 22. When the key 66 is depressed the arm 70 coacts with the portion 71 of the rod 22 causing the latter to rotate carrying with it the closure member 20. When the door portion 21 of the closure member is clear of the slot 13 in the cylinder wall and the pocket 65 is opposite the slot 13, further ro- 14o tation of the parts is prevented by the ears 2'? and 28 of the closure member contacting with the ear 25 of the bracket 23 and the end 33 of the slot 30 respectively.

It is desirable to forceably eject the straws from the cylinder, to this end, the plate or ejector 60 is urged towards the wall of the cylinder as the closure member is rotated and is pressed against the straw W forcing the same from the pocket 65 through the slot 13, the straw then falling into the repository 14, where it remains until manually removed. To swing the end of the ejector plate 60 I prefer to bend the upper end of the rod 61 laterally, as indicated at 73 in Figs. 6 and 9 and then upwardly as at 7a to engage a cam slot '75 in the bracket 23. As the closure member 20 is rotated the rod 61 first coacts with a concentric portion of the slot 75 but as the closure member nears the completion of its active movement the rod 61 is engaged. by the sloping or cam portion of the slot 75 and forces the ejector plate 60 outward, with a comparatively quick movement thereby forcibly ejecting the straw W.

When the straw has been ejected from the cylinder into the repository 14 the key 66 is released and the spring 31 then acts to return the parts to their normal positions shown in Fig. 7 where they remain until the key is again depressed to eject another straw.

When the cylinder has become depleted of its supply of straws the cover 11 is removed, the packer a0 is manually rotated counter-clockwise (Figs. '7 and S) and a fresh supply of straws is inserted in the cylinder between the retainer plate 35 and the packer 40 which is then released to hold the straws compactly against the r tainer plate and urge one straw into the pocket 65 and the device is then ready for operation.

In Figs. 12 to 16 inclusive 1 show a modified form of dispenser which is similar in outward appearance and cylinder construction to the form heretofore described. In this modified form the cylinder wall 14 comprises one piece of metal and the flared base and the bottom member 7a of another piece.

In this modified construction the closure member comprises a relatively thick metal bar 80, which extends substantially the full length of the cylinder and is adapted to close the opening 13 in the cylinder wall as illustrated in Fig. 14. The closure member has an inwardly extending portion 81 adjacent the top of the cylinder and which portion is pivctally mounted on a shaft 22a. The closure member passes downwardly adjacent the inner face of the cylinder 5 through'a slotted opening 83 in the base 'Ia and has an inwardly extendin portion 84 which is pivoted to the rod 220, beneath the bottom 7a. The closure member is retained in its normal position, covering the opening 13 in the cylinder 5, by a suitable spring 85. one end of which is secured to a pin 86 on the bottom la and the other end of which is secured to the portion 34 of the closure member.

The rod 220. is centrally located within the cylinder and is rotatably journalled in the bottom 70. and in a horizontally extending bracket 23a which is secured to the cylinder, adjacent its upper edge by suitable screws which pass through the wall of the cylinder and are threaded into a downwardly extending lip 87 of the bracket.

The straws are pressed against a vertically extending retainer plate 35a by means of a packer 40a. The retainer plate pivotally secured tothe rod 22a and extends outwardly therefrom and is secured to the bracket 23a in the same manner as the retainer plate 35 is secured to the bracket 23, heretofore described, thereby preventing relative movement between the retainer plate andthe cylinder.

The packer iOa is similar to the packer 40 and is best illustrated in Figs. 13, 14 and 15. The packer comprises a comparatively heavy wire 90 which is pivotally secured to the rod 220. at 91 and extends outwardly towards the cylinder wall,

then upwardly adjacent the wall, then inwardly to the rod 22a where it is pivotally secure, as at 92, and then upwardly adjacent the rod to providea handle by means of which the packer may be conveniently moved to replenish the cylinder with a fresh supply of straws. A suitable spring as urges the packer against the straws thereby holding the straws between the retaining plate and the packer.

As the closure member is made of compare.- tively heavy material it is necessary to provide means to prevent the straws from becoming jammed by the'latter. To this end I prefer to secure circumferentially extending wires or bars 95 to the interior of the cylinder. These bars 95 are substantially the same thickness as the closure member thereby presenting a substantially continuous surface to the straws. The closure member is slotted as at 96 in Fig. 12 to permit its movement relative to the bars 95 without interference therewith and without disturbing the continuity of the interior surface presented to the straws.

The ejector member is best illustrated in Figs. 12 to 16 inclusive and comprises a bent plate 100 having a portion 101 which is bent around the rod 22a and rigidly secured thereto. The plate 180 extends outwardly from the rod 22a to the bars 95 and then extends arcuately, as at 102, conforming in curvature to the inner circumference of the bars, and has an outwardly extending lip portion 103 which extends to the inner surface of the cylinder, the bars 95 being stopped at 104 permitting straws to contact with the inner surface of the cylinder between the lip 103 of the ejector and the edge 105 of the closure member.

The rod 22a is rotated by the depression of the key 66 in the same manner as the rod 22 is retated and which has been heretofore described. The rotation of the rod 2211 causes the ejector plate 100 to rotate counter-clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 14 to the position shown in Fig. 15. This movement causes the straws W1 which lie adjacent the cylinder to be squeezed inwardly until only one straw W2 is gripped between the diverging surfaces 105 and 103 of the closure member and ejector plate respectively. The continued movement of the ejector plate then overcomes the resistance of the spring and carries the straw W2 and the closure member with it. When the external edge of the closure plate 80 has reached the far edge of the opening 13, completely exposing the latter, the movement of the closure plate is stopped due to its reaching the extremity of the slot in the base 70:. The continued movement of the ejector plate, then forces the straw outwardly into the repository 14, due to the diverging surfaces 105 and 103, where it reposes until manually removed. Upon the releasing of the key 66 the springs 31 and 85 return the parts to their normal positions.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided a compact dispenser which will dispense straws one by one, at the will of the operator, in a vertical position from the side of the dispenser, and in such a manner as to prevent the operator from handling any straws other than the one discharged. It will also be seen that I have provided a simple and compact straw dispenser which is efiicient in operation, cheap in manufacture, and which will discharge articles, normally spring packed within the dispenser, from a vertically extending slot into a suitable repository. It Will also be seen that as the bottom of the straw is discharged into the repository, the upper end of the straw normally swings out of the cylinder through the slot into an inclined position where it may readily be grasped by the hand.

I claim:

1. A dispensing device comprising a base, an open ended cylinder mounted on said base and having a vertical slot in its wall and a repository pocket secured wholly external of said cylinder and having a vertical slot opening in register with said vertical slot in the wall, a flat plate secured in the opposite end of the cylinder and having a central aperture therein, a vertical stem mounted in said cylinder and one end secured in said aperture, spring means pivoted on said stem for normally pressing a plurality of slender articles toward said slot, and an ejector adapted to be manually operated to discharge an article through said cylinder wall slot into a position above said pocket.

2. In a straw dispensing device the combination of an open ended hollow cylinder having a vertical slot therein, a centrally apertured base inserted in one end of said cylinder, a hollow supporting base for receiving therein the closed end of the cylinder and having a vertical slot therein for receiving an operating lever therein, a flat plate secured in the opposite end of the cylinder and being centrally apertured, a pivot stem having its ends mounted in the apertures of said fiat plate and said base, respectively, spring means pivoted on said stem within said cylinder for normally pressing articles resting vertically upon said flat base toward said vertical slot, an ejector mounted on said stem for discharging a limited number of said articles through said cylinder slot, and actuating means connecting the said operating lever with said stem whereby actuation of the operating lever will oscillate the stem to discharge an article through said cylinder slot.

3. A dispensing device comprising a base, an open ended cylinder mounted on said base and having a vertical slot in its wall and a repository pocket secured externally of the cylinder and registering laterally with said slot but having a lower bottom than the bottom of said slot, a ilat plate secured in the opposite end of the cylinder and having a central aperture therein, a vertical stem mounted in said cylinder and one end secured in said aperture, spring means pivoted on said stem for normally pressing a plurality of slender articles toward said slot, and an ejector adapted to be manually operated to discharge an article out through said slot and into said repository.

4. In a straw dispensing device the combination of a hollow cylinder having an elongated vertical slot therein, a fiat base inserted in one end of said cylinder and having a central aperture, a flared supporting base for receiving the closed end of the cylinder thereon and having a vertical slot therein for receiving an operating lever therein, a flat plate secured in the opposite end of the cylinder and having an axial aperture therein, a vertical stem rotatably mounted in the said axial aperture and in the aperture of said base inserted in the cylinder end, and having an extension thereof passing through the said base aperture and bent at an angle within said supporting base, spring means pivoted on said stem within said cylinder for normally pressing slender articles resting vertically upon said flat base toward said cylinder slot, an ejector operatively mounted on said stem for discharging an article supporting base slot and the other end operably connected with said stem extension.

5. A dispensing device comprising a base, an open ended cylinder mounted on said base and having a vertical slot in its wall and a repository pocket secured externally of the cylinder and registering laterally with said slot but having a lower bottom than the bottom of said slot, a fiat plate secured in the opposite end of the cylinder and having a central aperture therein, a vertical stem mounted in said cylinder and one end secured in said aperture, spring means pivoted on said stem for normally pressing a plurality of slender articles toward said slot, said spring means including wall members within said cylinder forming an inner pocket normally closed on three sides but permitting entrance thereinto preparatory to ejection from the cylinder, and an ejector adapted to be manually operated to discharge an article out through said wall slot and into said repository pocket.

6. A dispensing device comprising a cylinder having a vertical slot in its wall and a repository pocket secured wholly external of said cylinder and having a vertical slot opening in register with said vertical slot in the wall, a vertical stem mounted in said cylinder, spring means pivoted on said stern for normally pressing a plurality of slender articles toward said slot, and an ejector adapted to be manually operated to discharge an article through said cylinder wall slot into a position above said pocket.

7. In a dispensing device for slender articles the combination of a hollow cylinder closed at its bottom and having a vertical slot therein, a hollow supporting base for the cylinder and having an opening therein for receiving an operating lever therein, a pivot stem in said cylinder extending vertically from the bottom thereof, spring means pivoted on said stem within said cylinder for normally pressing articles resting vertically upon said bottom toward said vertical slot, an ejector mounted on said stem for discharging a limited number of said articles through said cylinder slot, and actuating means connecting the said operating lever with said stem whereby actuation of the operating lever will oscillate the stem to discharge an article through said cylinder slot.

8. A dispenser for slender articles, said dispenser including a container for receiving and supporting a body of said articles in vertical positions, said container having a vertical opening in a wall thereof through which an article may be dispensed from said container, means in said container for normally urging said body of articles toward said opening, and means associated with said opening operable into said body against the action of said urging means for selecting and ejecting an article from said body, said means including an element movable into said body of articles inwardly of an article adjacent said opening and then outwardly toward said opening to eject an article, means operable from outside the containers for so moving said element, a movable closure for said opening normally closed but adapted to be opened suificiently to permit such ejection of an article, and means for opening said closure as said article is selected and ejected by said selecting and ejecting means.

9. A dispenser for slender articles, said dispenser including a container for receiving and supporting a body of said articles in vertical positions, said container having a vertical opening in a wall thereof through which an article may be dispensed from said container, means in said container for normally urging said body of articles toward said opening and means associated with said opening operable into said body against the action of said urging means for selecting and ejecting an article from said body, said means including an element movable into said body of articles inwardly of an article adjacent said opening and then outwardly toward said opening to eject an article, and means operable from outside the container for so moving said element.

10. A dispenser for slender articles, said dispenser including a container for receiving a body of the articles in vertical non-segregated, positions, said container having a vertical opening in a wall of the container through which the articles may be ejected. means normally urging said body of articles laterally toward said opening, means associated with said opening and movable into said body of articles and then outwardly toward said opening for selecting an article from said body and ejecting it through said opening, and means for actuating said last-named means.

CLYDE C. SUITER. 

